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On September 24th
2007, Israeli General Gadi Sh’mani, commander of the central command, signed an
order to confiscate a 1,100 dunnum of land in the E1 area of Maale Edumim
settlement.
The lands to be
confiscated are from the Palestinian villages of Abu Dis, Arab a Sawakh’reh,
Nebi Musa and Talkhan al Khamar. According to the military confiscation order,
the lands are to be used in order to build a road to serve Palestinians.
The construction of a
road for Palestinians is meant to serve two objectives in the region. It aims
to create the conditions for the construction of 3,500 dwelling units in Area
E1 of the Maale Adumim settlement for Jewish settlement, and also to implement
a plan which separates the transportation routes of Jews and Arabs in the West Bank.
The plans to enlarge the
Maale Edumim settlement on Area E1 have been paralyzed for some years due to
opposition from Washington. Construction in the area will end all
territorial continuity of the Palestinian suburbs of Jerusalem,
rendering impossible the US
plan for the division of greater Jerusalem
between Israel
and a future Palestinian state. According to this plan in the area of greater Jerusalem, all Jewish settlements will be annexed to Israel while all Arab communities, including
those within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem,
will be part of the Palestinian state.
Israel attempts to bypass US objections by
establishing a system for transportation contiguity between Palestinian
communities.
These new actions come
along with additional "facts on the ground,” such as settlement
construction and the separation wall, established by Israel
in the greater Jerusalem
area.
Palestinian leaders
believe that such Israeli activities show Israel’s unwillingness to reach a
peace agreement.
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